Story of Kurotane Piko
by LocketShoru
Summary: Long oneshot that I put into chapters because it's long. Really long. Pretend it's a oneshot. The past of Kurotane Piko, the dark version of Utatane Piko. Contains romance, action, adventure and gore. Lots of the first and last. Tell me if there's any errors I should know about.
1. Chapter 1

The hearth was empty and he was cold. Small, young and cold. Didn't the world hate him? Sure, he'd been called a failure and been thrown into the streets like some unwanted baby – oh wait, he was an unwanted baby. He at least knew his name. He had to figure everything out and he'd lived alone for most of his life. Nobody wanted a half-robot kid. Especially one who had speech problems. His voice sounded robotic and distorted, and he had a hard time hearing things too. But he couldn't feel anything, so he never worried about getting dirty or unpleasant feelings like pain or cold. When he felt cold, he meant that he had a stupid ice chunk in his system. Stupid winter.

Kurotane Piko shivered. He listened carefully to see if he could hear anything. He sometimes got lucky. But not always, and not now. He could hear only silence, which meant that his ears weren't working properly. He stuffed his hand in his left ear and pulled out ice. And just barely, he could hear the roar of the highway nearby. He did the same to the other ear and could now hear faintly the noises of the city. Feeling slightly better, he got up to go see if there was anything for him to eat nearby. If he could do that without getting caught by the rats.

Kuro stopped before the back of a restaurant. Vanishing behind a garbage can, he watched a chef put a paper plate full of food outside. This was his favourite restaurant, because the chefs always left out food for the homeless. Technically, he was homeless. Just another one of the rats. The chef looked around, waiting for someone to appear. "If you don't come soon, I'll bring this back in," he called. Kuro let his head appear from behind the can, interested in the prospect of food, which he hadn't had in days due to the rats. "Ah, there's one. Come on up; I don't bite." The chef held out the plate and Kuro's will broke. He didn't want to be seen, but he needed food.

He stepped out from behind the can, slowly half-crawling-half-walking over to the food. He was wary, in case the rats came back. He was three feet from the food when they did.  
The next thing he knew he was on the ground being pummeled by rats as they charged for the food. The chef held up the plate, looking annoyed. "He was here first, he gets the food." the chef said. "Now let him get it. He hasn't been here in days and he looks starved." Kuro felt just slightly the rats getting off of him. The biggest of them had messy brown hair and gutter-coloured eyes. "Go, then. Before we get it." the rat snarled. The other homeless kids were the rats – because that's what they acted like. Kuro struggled to his feet, weak with hunger. He saw the cook bring the food to him and he took the plate, his hunger begging him to eat and not share. "Ari-arigato." he whispered. He hated, hated talking in any way. His voice was problematic and distorted – he couldn't really be understood. The chef nodded, "You're welcome. It's all for you." Kuro smiled slightly in thanks; then without another word, ate it as fast as he could, not to savor it but to get it in his system before the rats took it from him. He had it all finished in a matter of minutes.

He passed the empty plate back to the chef, smiling in what he hoped was a gracious manner. The chef nodded. "Now off you go, all of you." Kuro was gone before the rats had moved. He had to get somewhere safe. The rats hated it when someone else was fed when they weren't. But nowhere was safe – and they could outrun him. His only hope was the tail he'd been born with. He didn't really know what it was called, but it helped him escape. He'd throw it around a tree branch or pole and he'd be shot a long way. He could escape anything if his tail could help.

He could have been entirely deaf at that moment and still have heard the rats coming. He had to move faster. Unclipping his tail, he threw it around a tree branch and let it throw him across two streets and onto someone's roof. He tumbled off right in front of a window. A small boy around his size with white hair and a blue-green gaze ran to the window. "Papa! It's raining people!" he cried. Kuro dragged himself into a sitting positing, rubbing the side of his face that had hit the roof first. "Ugh" he muttered, still in pain. He snuck a look at the window. The father, as it looked, had black hair and blue eyes that matched one of the kid's. The kid had a piece of hair shaped like a hook, and it matched Kuro's. He even wore the same clothes, but cleaner and in white, blue and black instead of Kuro's black and red. The father opened the window. "Kon'nichiwa." he said. Kuro grunted, still in pain and not wanting to talk and show off his screwed up voice.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sekihan! Watch Uta-kun while I help this new kid!" the father called before walking out the door to go help Kuro. He knelt beside Kuro, offering his hand to help him up. "You hurt?" he asked gently. Kuro only grunted again. The man's eyes scanned him over. "Yeah, you're hurt. Come on, you can stay with us for now." He picked up an uncertain and wary Kuro in his arms and carried him inside. Kuro saw another man carrying the white-clad child. This man had red hair and matching glasses. His eyes were covered by the gleam of his glasses and Kuro was unable to make further notes.

The kid scrambled out of the redhead's arms and over to Kuro, who really just wanted to sleep but was far too terrified to do so. He didn't know where he was or who these people were. "Come on, you two. He needs a hospital." The redhead nodded and picked up the white-haired kid again. The four left the house and into a car. Kuro saw cars as danger and really wanted to go. The father drove, while the red-clad man held both children. Uta-kun seemed to be the name of the small white-coloured kid and Kuro wondered why his name was such a weird one. Seriously, Song-kun?

_Oh, actually, my name is Utatane Piko. My papa's Piko, he's driving and this is my mama Sekihan._ The voice in Kuro's head sounded exactly like the white-clad kid. Utatane Piko... that could abbreviate to Uta-kun. He thought back, hoping the kid might be able to communicate with him this way. _I'm Kurotane Piko. Our names are close. You can call me Kuro-kun, if you even want to talk to me anyway. Nobody does, really._

_Why not?_ Uta-kun asked him. _Because I'm different. Because I don't have a home. I don't have a family. I'm just a weirdo deaf and mute kid with a tail and red-magenta eyes. Nobody likes me or wants me around._ Kuro replied unhappily. _You can stay with us then! Papa and Mama won't mind._ Utatane's cheerfulness was contagious, and Kuro's mood lightened a little bit.

The car stopped and Kuro looked out the window to see a red cross. A hospital, if he could see correctly. The raven-haired man, Piko, got out and went to take Kuro from the redhead's arms. The red haired guy must be Sekihan, Kuro thought, trying to put names to appearances. Utatane nodded and smiled brightly. The next thing Kuro knew, he was inside the hospital being wheeled around on a bed of some sort. He vaguely remembered being on a bed, back at the lab in which he was born. He curled his hand around his tail, which he wrapped around himself protectively. He knew that as long as he had his tail, he might be able to survive. He didn't know it, but his tail could spark electricity and seriously injure someone, should his body work without his mind's consent.

"He's not in a good condition. It looks as though he's been on the streets for a while." Kuro vaguely heard someone say. "We watched him fall off the roof and he was bad, so we brought him in. Looks a lot like Uta-kun and I'm suspicious as to why. They're the same except for inverted colours - even the P-shaped ahoges and the USB tails are the same. There's something that Meito-chan didn't tell me and I can bet my voice that this child has something to do with it, whether he remembers it or not." That was Piko. Kuro could identify his voice because it was the girliest voice he'd ever heard. Even the girl-rats sounded more boyish than that. A white-clad lady went up to him. "We're going to do a few tests to find out if you've got any broken bones, okay? It shouldn't hurt, but if you're in pain, you have to let us know. All right, sweetheart?" Kuro found that he had a desperate wish to slap this lady with his tail. She spoke to him like the oldest ladies did with their miniature dogs and Kuro didn't like it. _I'm already in a lot of pain but I don't need nor want anything for it._ Uta-kun repeated his words almost exactly out loud. "Kuro-kun says that he's already in a lot of pain but he doesn't need nor want anything for it. I don't know what that means though." Everyone in the room froze. Kuro nodded, as if to confirm that. "H-how do you know that?" the lady spluttered. "I can hear his thoughts and he can hear my thoughts!" Utatane replied. "He's smart. He also said that he was deaf and mute, but I don't know what that is too." Uta-kun added.

"So he's mute but you two have a telepathic bond. And he's deaf but can hear you anyway." The lady slowly nodded. Kuro decided to take a chance. "I can sort of hear a little bit and I can talk but nobody understands me anyway so it doesn't matter." He said it slow and loud so he might be understood. He hated his voice and wished he could talk understandably, but he couldn't. At least Uta-kun could relay his thoughts. "I understood that. Kuro-kun, is that your name?" Sekihan spoke for the first time. "Kurotane Piko, actually. Kuro-kun is fine though, if you want to talk to me anyway. No one does because I'm little and unimportant." Kuro really hated this now. He wanted to be left alone so he could sleep. He needed to sleep anyway.

"We still have to see if we can fix him. Start the x-rays." The lady gave the orders then began to wheel him into a side room. Utatane climbed onto the bed and sat beside Kuro. "Now, now, sweetheart," the lady began, reaching over to take Utatane off the bed. Kuro made a quick decision that he wanted Utatane with him and grabbed the white-haired boy's tail. It was exactly like his own and although Kuro found that weird, it did make a point that he wasn't about to let Utatane go so quickly. The lady stopped. "Now, now, the two of you. Kuro-tan has some things he has to do and you can't be with him on them, hon-" "NO!" the two screeched at the same time. "We stay together!" It was loud and antagonizing to listen to, but they were working together and Kuro had never said anything so loud, even in his mind. His fights for food against the rats seemed like nothing compared to this. He was determined to make sure Utatane stayed with him. He vaguely knew why, but the prospect of the white-coloured child leaving was too much for him. He held out his tail to Utatane and the boy took it.

They had each other's tails in hand now and neither had any intention of being alone at this point. The lady sighed. She pressed a point on their wrists which made them drop their tails in sudden pain. The lady quickly grabbed Utatane's tail and well as the rest of the kid and lifted him out of Kuro's reach. Kuro stood a full three-and-a-half feet at maximum and he knew he would not be able to reach his only friend. The lady called for Piko and the raven-haired man came and took his son in his arms. He knelt down beside a very scared Kurotane and looked him dead in the eye. "I understand that this is scary for you. I understand that you do not want to do this alone. But it will only take a few minutes; then you two can be together again. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Just stay calm." Piko's voice was gentle and comforting. Kuro noticed vaguely that he had almost the same voice as both Kuro and Uta but a bit smoother and older. Kuro nodded slowly, still terrified. _Talk to me through this. Please?_ Kuro's voice sounded clingy to him when he sent the thought towards his friend. Utatane nodded. _I'll tell you about my life and you can tell me about your life._ Kuro gave his friend a hug, as he had seen other people do before.

Kuro watched with eyes blurred by tears as his friend's father took him from the white-clad lady's arms. Piko ruffled Kuro's hair gently and smiled in the same gentle way. Kuro decided that this man could probably be trusted. He vaguely noticed the bed moving again, this time through a door into a black room with green runemarks all over it. It looked rather high technologized and Kuro felt at home. He didn't know why, but he had ideas of how everything in here worked. There were circles and lines in green and Kuro noticed that he could read them. Binary code, he named it. The circles were called zeros and the lines were ones. He didn't know how he knew, but a part of him had seemed to wake up and point him in the right direction.

"Start the tests."


	3. Chapter 3

When Kurotane was pulled out of the room, he felt worse. The small, all-knowing part of him had went back to sleep. He looked around, trying to find his friend. He watched as the red-haired man, Sekihan, placed Utatane back onto the bed, where the white-clad child instantly tackled Kuro, hugging him so tightly that Kuro couldn't breathe. "Hey, Utatane, chill and let the kid breathe." Piko commented lightly. Uta released Kuro enough so he could breathe, but not letting go of him. "This isn't a good synopsis. This child is half-robot. Looks like a Vocaloid if I've ever seen one. His coding says that he was supposed to be the Vocaloid Utatane Piko, but his human body rejected the machines and he caught a virus that corrupted his system. Which is why he looks like this. No major injuries, but..." A scientist in a lab coat explained the problem. Both Piko and Sekihan looked like they'd just been slapped. This was certainly a twist.

_So, I'm supposed to be you, but I got sick and became me. Makes perfect sense. So that said, what's a 'Vocaloid'? _Kuro asked Uta. _Well, they're supposed to be singing people, like really extra special singing people, and Dad said that they're created in a different way once_. Uta explained what he knew, and Kuro nodded slowly. His mind snapped back to the adults' conversation when Piko finally spoke. "So... Right, Meito did not tell us this. All I know so far is that he's coming home with us whether he likes it or not. However, we're going to get Meito over here and find out what's going on. He did get me to redo the voicebank, but he never said why. Do you know if he'll be allowed up?" The scientist nodded. Piko called Meito and within five minutes, Meito Sakine walked into the room, and Kurotane Piko was nearly thrown over with a wave of terror.

"Meito." Piko nodded. "Piko. And Sekihan. What happened?" Meito had a deep voice and brown hair. "Kurotane Piko happened, so to speak." Sekihan replied. Meito flinched. He had clearly not seen this coming. "How the hell did you find out? That kid was created nine years ago. There's no way he lived." Meito's voice was challenging and pissed. Kuro stood up, surprised that he could do so with the amount of fear that was building up in his body. "I lived because nobody anticipated my will to survive. I am me; how I got to be that way doesn't matter. But at least now I know how old I am. You're telling me everything. I know these streets and I know this city. But I don't know who I am. Tell. Me. Everything." Kuro didn't like this, but he had to know. There was no way he was going to miss the one opportunity he had to find out the truth, to uncover his mysterious past.

"Very well." Meito nodded. And he began.

It was a very cold October morning nine years ago when I walked into my office to start another day of trying to create a Vocaloid for Sony Entertainment. When I got to the programming room, I stopped dead. My fellow scientists were standing still, crowded around the place where the Vocaloid was supposed to be. Since there was always a rush around as everyone tried to get the programming done, them not moving said something. I pushed my way to the front and stopped dead for the second time that morning. There was just no way that this could be happening.

A small black-haired child lay on the bed. He was dressed in the opposite colours of his design. The white was black and the black was white. The markings that were supposed to be blue were a bright red. "What the hell happened?" I demanded, breaking the silence. "Well, sir, everything was fine until he started twitching. Then he went rigid and he stopped breathing. His hair darkened and turned black and his outfit inverted its colours. I don't know what caused it, sir." That was one of the apprentice scientists. "B-but he's breathing again, sir." the apprentice added. "Taito, check the coding." I ordered to a violet-haired scientist. He went and ran a quick coding scan. The computer beeped loudly before talking in a loud, emotionless voice. "Error Number 70865. Vocaloid #7 = Utatane Piko has caught a virus. Wormhole Virus #96739. This very virus created Vocaloids 2 and 01 deratives = AKAITO and Zatsune Miku. Vocaloid #7 = Utatane Piko has now become Vocaloid #7 = Kurotane Piko." I swore loudly. I had failed. This virus was not something that could be removed. If I told my boss, he would surely fire me. If I told Piko, he would back out of the project. "Look, everyone. We know that we'll all lose our jobs if we tell anyone. We get rid of this and call it a rough draft. We restart and tell nobody." I held my patience, even though I'd already thrown a temper tantrum. That's when I heard his mechanical, deep and bitter voice.

"So I'm just a failure, am I?"

I whipped back around to face the Vocaloid, who was sitting up and glaring at me with mismatched eyes. One was red, the other was magenta and both held hostility. "That's right." I replied, my own voice full of anger. Anger at this failure and it was him who was going to pay for it. I pressed on his right temple firmly but not gently. His eyes closed, going into shutdown mode. I roughly picked him up and dumped him out of the open window. "Kurotane Piko..." I hissed. "Get away from here. Don't you tell a soul and don't you dare live. There is no room for a failure like you in this world."  
With that said, we restarted the project. I sent an email to Piko asking for the voicebank again, saying some lie about losing it when my computer had decided to update on me. I was lucky, he believed me. My job was safe.


	4. Chapter 4

Now you know." Meito whipped back around to face Kuro, who flinched, terrified. "Why did you try to live? You knew it would be pointless." Meito continued. Kuro pulled Uta up to stand beside him. "So I am just a failure. That's the only thing I remember. Your evil face and my question. I don't remember your order, because the only thing I remember that hasn't been mentioned is a lot of pain, probably from being thrown out of a window. Never thought of it my way, I think. Never thought that I had a mind, that I'm not just a machine. Do you know how hard it was? Do you know what it was like to sleep in the cold, to nearly die of starvation every winter? To not know when my next meal was? To hide from the street rats, who beat me up whenever they saw me? To rely on garbage cans for food? I didn't know how much time had passed. I didn't know why I was like this. But now I do. Now I know that had it happened different, my life would've been better. I wouldn't have grown up on the streets. I might've had an actual family. Might've had friends. But no. I didn't. And it's all your fault." Kuro had to speak slowly and loudly, for he wanted desperately to be understood. He felt now that he was better off before he'd fallen off that stupid roof. It never should have happened. Now this scientist was going to destroy him. And all because of his stupid will to live.

"It's your fault for catching the virus!" Meito snapped back. "Yeah, and what was I supposed to do against it?" Kuro replied, before being silenced by an agitated Piko. "Enough. We know what's going on. I would not have backed out of the project – I would've taken the two home with me. That's what I plan on doing now. Once Kuro's all right he's coming home with us, and that's final. It may be a virus but he's still technically my son and I will take him home."

Kuro didn't know what he was supposed to do now. Piko was familiar, but Kuro couldn't place where from. Sekihan and Uta were familiar too, except Uta looked younger that Kuro could remember. And yet, trying to figure this out almost made him miss the next part. "So, you're going to live with a failure. I have no use for you anymore, Piko." Meito turned on his heel and walked away, clearly still mad. Piko didn't flinch. Instead, he looked at his two sons and smiled. That was when Kuro was hit with a flashback.

I was standing in some sort of wasteland. There was garbage strewn everywhere and I didn't care. I'd been in worse places. The weird thing was that I could see fine – I normally couldn't. Everything was crystal clear. "Kon'nichiwa?" I called. My voice resounded a far ways, but was also clear. I could speak like a normal person. "C-can I really talk? Yes, I can. This is _weird_." I'd seen people talk to themselves before, but it felt weird to be doing it. "Kuro-kun!" I heard a voice a long ways to my left. I turned around, expecting to see somebody, but there was nobody. "Kuro-kun!" the voice called again. "Come here!" I walked slowly in the direction of the voice, passing broken black boxes and things on my way. I came to the edge of the place I was in; and it had a rift dropping straight down. I paused, staring down into the bottomless rift. I looked up; searching for the voice I could hear so well. Three meters away from the edge was another island like mine. This island was very different. And there, I could see a girl, slightly younger than me, waving to me with bright, clear lake-blue eyes. "Kuro-kun! You're here!" she called to me. She was smiling and beckoned me. "Come on!"

The island that she was on looked like paradise; emerald-green grass, a forest nearby and wildflowers coated the island. A crystal-blue stream ran nearby, falling off the edge of the island gracefully. What truly made it paradise was the girl who I didn't know. She was beautiful, her golden hair falling slightly below her shoulders, the hairband with cat ears on it, and the large leopard besides her. He had blue eyes like her and a white stripe that covered his ears and ran between them. His tail looked almost exactly like mine, though. "Who are you?" I called back to her.

"I'm your friend! Come on, Kuro-kun!" She beckoned me to her island, smiling. I looked down again at the gap that separated us – still three meters, too far for me to jump. "It's too far for me to jump!" I replied to her, unsure if jumping that gap was even possible. "You can do it, Kuro-kun!" she told me, smiling still.


	5. Chapter 5

Kuro was snapped back to the situation at hand. He remembered that dream. He'd had it forever. When he was a bit younger, a few people had joined the girl and her cat. Piko had called him over, so had Sekihan. Uta was older than the girl, like if he was a teenager. He'd told Kuro that it was better over with the dream-group, as Kuro had named them. Utatane was probably right, but Kuro was still doubtful if he could make the jump. It was that dream that had kept him going. He had to learn more about that girl. He had to know who she was, and why she kept calling him. She was his world, and he had to know why.

"Kuro, is there something wrong?" Sekihan asked him. Kuro shook his head. "No, just… Nothing." His instinct told him not to tell anyone about the dream that he'd held onto for so long. The dream that he had to understand. "You can tell us, you know. We won't hurt you." Sekihan's voice was gentle. "I'm fine. Just thinking." Kuro waved him off, wanting to think about the dream some more. If he knew these three from the dream, then that meant that the rest of the dream-group was real. The girl's – no, _his _girl's – smiling face came into his mind. She was special to him, and he felt protective of her. He didn't know why, but maybe others had a special person in their minds too.

"Who's that gold-haired girl?" Utatane asked him. "H-how do you know about her?" Kuro spluttered, taken by surprise. "You were thinking about her and I picked it up. Is she a friend from before?" Utatane asked; curiosity in his voice. "I don't know." Kuro replied, wishing that his friend would keep out of that. She was his special secret. Her voice was enough to stop his tears or to make him search an extra hour for food. She was always there when he needed her. "Then who is she?" Uta pressed further, wanting to know. "I don't know! Don't you have a special person in your mind all the time?" Kuro was getting annoyed now. He felt ready to hurt Uta and he didn't know why. His instinct screamed at him to do something, to protect her. "No… She's special to you, isn't she?" Uta was seriously getting on his nerves now. "Just stop. J-just stop." Kuro's voice cracked, and he trembled. He just wanted to be left alone to think about her. He didn't realize how red his cheeks were, or notice the heat on his face. "Is there something wrong, you two?" Piko asked. "He's bothering me and I want to sleep." Kuro replied, his cheeks still red. "Papa, he's got a special crush!" Uta said in a singsong tone. "Shut it!" Kuro snapped, now getting angry. "Peace, the two of you. If you want to sleep, you can sleep. We'll take you home soon." Piko replied gently. "I don't have a home." Kuro countered, upset now. His emotions were running high and out of control. _"Kuro-kun!"_ she called. His girl was calling to him again, wanting him to calm down. "Oooh, is that what she sounds like?" Uta asked, entertained. "I said shut it!" Kuro snapped. _"Kuro-kun! It's all right!" _ she called again.

"Kuro, you're coming home with us. Our home is your home now too." Piko was still gentle, and he ruffled the hair of both nine-year-olds. Kuro took a deep breath, wishing that his girl wold come back to him. He vaguely heard her laugh happily, which was followed by a smirk from Utatane. Kuro cast him a dirty look in response. "Don't laugh at me." Kuro muttered. "I'm not – but she sure sounds swe-"Utatane was cut off by Kurotane's hand on his mouth. "Mmf!" Using their telepathic bond, Kuro sent his friend a message. _Don't talk about her at all. Ever. _Utatane nodded; then Kuro took his hand off of his friend's mouth. _"You two are such good twins. It just makes me love you more, Kuro-kun!" _Her smile flashed into his mind. This time, he noticed the heat wash over his face. Twins? "Uta-kun, are we twins?" Kuro asked. "Maybe, I don't know. Papa, are me and Kuro twins?" Piko paused; then nodded. "Yes, twins would be the best description. Kuro, why are you blushing?"

Kuro looked down, knowing that he might have to explain this. "Nothing," he said uncertainly, hoping that Piko would believe him. "You're red down to your collarbone – that's not nothing." Piko didn't. "I don't want to talk about it." Kuro shut himself out. _"It's okay! He's all right!"_ There she was again. _You really want me to be comfortable with these people, don't you? _He was doing it again. He was talking to her in his mind again. _Where were you this morning? _He asked her, wondering. _Doing stuff. But yeah, these are people you should trust, Kuro-kun. They won't hurt you. _Her reply was to the point. He loved it when she called him 'Kuro-kun', it made him feel better. _You've still never told me your name. _It felt weird to have known her his entire life but not know her name. _It's not important, really. You'll know me soon enough. It'll be a few years, but you'll know me. _She smiled for him, and he could feel her rest, as if snuggling into him. He wanted her safe, and in his arms. He didn't know why it was that way. He didn't know what it was called. But she was his, and his she would stay.

Sekihan drove home shortly after they'd gotten Kuro checked out. He was told that he had to stay in bed for a week or something like that. They then had gone to the store to get some things for the twins; who had both gone to sleep. By the time they were home, it was almost time for dinner. Kuro's stomach rumbled at the prospect of food. They ate in silence, Kuro watching the others to see how they ate. He'd stabbed himself by accident a few times, and Piko eventually showed him how to use these materials.

After supper, Kuro was shown around the house. He was to sleep in Uta's room until they could get him his own. He didn't mind that too much – he had a warm place to sleep in now. What bothered him was that he had to sleep next to his twin. He was unused to having someone so close. Nobody had ever come within three feet of him and hadn't wanted to kill him.

Utatane, as it happened, was terrified of the dark and wanted Kuro to make sure everything was all right. It made Kuro want to violently strangle something, being depended on by someone else. He just wanted to sleep, and Utatane wasn't about to allow that. "P-please – I-I hate the d-dark." Uta pulled Kuro closer, hanging onto his shirt, trembling. "Peace, Utatane. Peace." He'd always told himself that when his emotions were running high. He'd imagine it in her voice, and he'd be fine. Utatane buried his face in Kuro's chest and whimpered. Kuro didn't understand that. The darkness comforted him, but his twin was scared of it. "Go to sleep, Uta-kun." Kuro tried to make his voice gentle, but it came out brittle and rough. "Kuro… I'm scared…" Uta whimpered. "Don't be. The darkness cannot hurt you. It can protect you. It can comfort you. But it cannot hurt you." Kuro tried to reassure his twin. It still came out brittle. He had been clingy before, but at that time he had no idea what was going on. He could see here, and he didn't see why his twin couldn't.

After an hour of whimpering, Uta finally went to sleep. Kuro managed to detach his twin from his shirt. He rolled into his back, looking through the window above him to see the stars. Except there were no stars – there was only a cloud. Kuro put his hands behind his head, waiting for the cloud to pass. When it did, moonlight filled the room. The moon was full and glowed blue through the window. It was peaceful, and Kuro noticed vaguely ambience. Not usual house ambience; or street ambience. No, this was ambient music he could hear. He didn't know what music was, but he knew that it was music. The little all-knowing part of him had woken up again. He could hear the music better now. The one part of his mind told him to sing. So he did, softly, letting the words flow out of his mouth.

"The mist of the shadows moves no more

When the light casts out its broken fragments

Around me...

The memories of you and I are long since forgotten

I cannot remember them anymore

If it's why I don't remember

Then I don't want to ever learn the truth

Why, are my memories all white?

And why, does it have to be so bright?

If I can't understand those reasons

Then my head will begin to hurt

Your gentle smile and your oceanic eyes

They're lost forever in the light

Wait for me, if I hold

All these fragments in my hands

Around you...

It's all blank and I cannot

Remember anything

Right now, put yours arms around me

And I will never let go

Why, are my memories all white?

And why, does it have to be so bright?

If I can't understand those reasons

Then my head will begin to hurt

Sayonara, my sweet love

It is why

I don't want to remember

But I know what has happened and I know

Why fate had to arrive

I'm agonized, but I have to go on

Kon'nichiwa, another time, ah

Gently, gently, far away..."

He was left in silence. He didn't know what the song had meant. Nothing like that had ever happened to him. Kuro wondered if it was to happen in the future. His girl had oceanic eyes, but so did his twin and his father. Kuro shook his head. He refused to believe that anything would separate him from those three. His thoughts were slow and gentle, wandering the moon-cast room. A blue light appeared in the corner of the room. Kuro pulled his torso up in a half-sitting position. Was this normal? When the light faded, he knew that not only was this abnormal, it was special and he was telling nobody. Because it was not the appearance that made it special. It was that his girl had appeared, and he would tell nobody about his special girl.

She smiled, giggling softly. "You look adorable when you're like that, you know, Kuro-kun." Stepping over the mess and to the side of his bed; she stroked his cheek gently with one hand. He placed his hand on hers with wondering eyes. She sat down next to him, pulling her legs up onto the bed. Their eyes locked, Kuro's red-magenta mix that drowned into her beautiful moon-blue eyes. Her blonde hair shone in the moonlight, casting a golden glow over the room. Kuro smiled, lost in the depth of her eyes, bathed in her glow. She returned the smile; then put her head on his chest. He put a hand on her hair, running his fingers through the soft golden threads. Then, without a thought or hesitation, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. She let out a breath and snuggled closer to him. He pulled her into him, not ever wanting to stop holding her. She was his, and that was that.


	6. Chapter 6

When Kurotane woke up, she was gone. There was no trace that she had been there at all. He was on his side again, and Utatane had latched himself onto Kuro's shirt. _I… I fell asleep?! No way…. I couldn't have fallen asleep on her. But where did she go? _His thoughts were interrupted by his twin, who woke and stretched, hitting Kuro in the face with a forearm. "Watch the arms." Kuro told him shamelessly. "Huh? Okay." Uta nodded sleepily. "It's Saturday, anyway. We can sleep as long as we want to. If you want breakfast, go find Papa or Mama. They'll show you." The white-haired child rolled back onto his side, curling his limbs into him. "Breakfast…? What's that?" Kuro asked. He felt dumb for not knowing. "Oh, um, breakfast is the meal you eat when you first wake up. I'll have breakfast later, but if you're hungry you can go get breakfast now." Kuro paused, thinking his twin's explanation through. Some people had enough food to eat more than once a day if they were lucky? Yep, that was weird.

He got up and went downstairs, wondering if his parents were up. "Someone's up early." Piko commented. He was stretched out on the couch, looking relaxed. "I consider this late, actually. I'm always up at dawn to find food. Which Uta-kun told me to go downstairs for if I was hungry. I cannot say that I don't find this odd, but I'm not complaining about extra food." Kuro replied.

"I see. Well, we usually have three meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast when you get up; lunch halfway through the day and dinner in the evening. I don't know what you like, but you're free to try new foods." With that, Piko got up to help Kuro find something. "Well, black licorice is one. If I find money on the ground, I use it for a special treat and I normally get black licorice because that stuff is tasty." Kuro wasn't too secretive about food. He didn't get much, so he savoured it. "So, we'll get you some today. Uta-kun loves the taste of mint, so you probably should try that out the next time we get some. Here, try this." Piko passed his son a bowl of some unfamiliar thing. "It's cereal and quite a lot have it for breakfast." Kuro nodded and began eating this 'cereal'. It had an interesting taste, and Kuro liked it. "How is it?" Piko asked. Kuro nodded, his mouth full of food that he felt was more than he'd ever eaten in such a short period of time.

"That's good." Piko put a hand on his son's back and sat beside him. "Did you hear anything last night? I was sure I heard someone singing." Kuro tried to not look guilty. He swallowed and spoke. "I was the one singing. I just heard some sounds and sang to those sounds." "Well, you sounded good. I didn't catch any of the words, but it was good singing. When we've got time I'd like to hear more." Piko replied. Kuro smiled and continued eating his cereal. "I'd like to sing more. But I was wondering – why is Uta-kun afraid of the dark? It's comforting to me." Kuro asked. "Well – everyone's different. You, who have grown up on the streets, would like the darkness. It hides you from your enemies and is a way to travel. Uta-kun, who has had a relatively bright life, sees the darkness as what hides the things he doesn't want to face. They say that evil things hide in the darkness. But such evil things will not bother you if you have the right to walk in darkness like they do. For Uta-kun, he does not know darkness, does not know what hides inside it. Because of such, he doesn't have the right to walk in said darkness, for that the evil things will bother him." Kuro's face dawned in understanding. He had never feared the darkness. But now he knew why others did.

He finished his cereal and smiled. "Thank you." Piko waved him off. "Welcome home, Kurotane Piko." With that, he stood up and embraced his son in a tight hug. He had finally found a place he could call home – and people that he could call family.


	7. Chapter 7

The weekend came and went. Kuro got his own room and managed to sleep peacefully without having to comfort his twin because of the darkness. His girl had checked in on him Sunday night, warning him that it wasn't going to be easy. He had asked her what she meant, but she said to keep his guard up at all times. She didn't help him much, but she told him that even though fate wasn't done with him yet, it would be worth it when the right time came. He'd then begged her to stay with him, and she had. She'd been gone by the morning, as she said she would be. But her memory and her lingering scent was true peace to him. Little did he know that it would keep him from losing his cool that following Monday.

Kuro followed his father into the car, carrying his new backpack over his shoulder. It wasn't too heavy, though Utatane asked him if he needed any help carrying it. He hadn't, but there was a lot in there for school, whatever that was. Sekihan had explained that it was where kids learned things until they were adults. Piko had taught him some things he would need, like math and other basic skills. Kuro would be going into third grade, and he didn't know much. He would have a hard time in school, but he didn't care. He had his twin to explain things if he needed it.

They drove to school in mostly silence, the only noise being that of Utatane giggling excitedly. Kuro was lost in his thoughts of his girl, without even realizing that Uta was giggling because of Kuro's thoughts. He mostly ignored everything, staring out the window. "You both ready?" Piko asked, breaking Kuro out of his thoughts and Uta out of his giggling. "Mm? Yeah, I guess." Kuro answered. Uta giggled a bit more and nodded. Piko opened the door and nodded to the twins. "Uta-kun, you know where you line up, right? You can go, and I have to take Kuro to the office. See you after school, and don't argue with Len. That always ends badly, remember? Kuro-kun, with me." Piko opened the doors for the twins. Utatane ran off, waving to Kuro, who took his father's hand and followed his dad to what must be the office.

"Hey, Piko. Ah, you brought the new kid. What's his name again? Ah, yes, Kuro-kun. He'll be in Mr. Kiyoteru's class. Do you know the way?" That was a lady behind the counter. Kuro read her nametag: Miss Sonika. "Yes, we'll be fine." Piko replied. Kuro looked around uncertainly. A loud sound made Kuro jump. _Your guard, Kuro-kun,_ she whispered to him. He nodded slightly and spread his feet in a fighting stance. "Kuro, something wrong?" Piko asked, noticing how tense his son had suddenly become. "I don't like being surprised. I don't know this place. I have to keep my guard up." Kuro answered, never losing the tenseness. "It's all right." Piko replied gently. "I will find out for myself." Kuro responded, still tense.

"He's an independent one." Miss Sonika remarked. "Yeah – he doesn't like having to rely on anybody and doesn't like having anyone rely on him. He's a loner really." Piko answered. Kuro scanned the room. Nothing interesting, but plenty of places for an enemy to hide. If his father hadn't been holding his hand so tightly, he'd have gone and checked the area for anything he didn't want to surprise him. Kuro inhaled, checking scent, which at least he could do. There were lots of different people scents – twenty or so adults and a few hundred kids. Nothing special. "Kuro, we can go to your new classroom now. You ready?" Kuro looked up at his dad. "I'm ready for just about anything right now." he replied.

Kuro entered his new classroom and he found thirty or so pairs of eyes on him, one of said pairs being his twin's, who waved at him and grinned. The one adult in the class had brown hair and glasses. "Oh, hello, Piko. This is the new student?" the adult asked. Piko nodded. "Well, come on up and introduce yourself," the brown-haired man said to Kuro. Kuro looked at him with a blank stare, not understanding what the man had just told him to do. Piko whispered to him, "tell them who you are and say hi and all that." Piko nudged him forward. "My name is Kurotane Piko – Kuro-kun if you actually want to talk to me." Kuro put no emotion into his words. "I'm your teacher – my name is Mr. Kiyoteru. Everyone, say hi to Kuro-kun!" The teacher had a name now. The class greeted Kuro and he had to tense so as to not go into a fighting stance. He wanted to appear normal. "We'll put you in between Uta-kun and Len-kun. Both of you, wave so he knows where he is." Uta waved happily to his twin, and the blond boy two seats away from him raised his hand in a mild greeting.

"Kuro-kun, you sit between them from now on. Off you go; then we'll begin class. Thanks, Piko." Kiyoteru nodded and Piko left. "You be good, the both of you," he said on his way out. Kuro went to the seat he was assigned, never losing his tenseness. As soon as he sat down, Len leaned over to him. "New kid, huh? You'll know your place soon enough – below _me_. Like any other idiot." Kuro suddenly had the desire to punch this kid, but he held it. _Don't let him bother you._ his girl told him quietly. _You're with me, aren't you? _he asked. _Always_, she smiled back at him. He snapped back to the situation at hand.

"We'll start with reading. Everyone, take out your books. Kuro-kun; let me get you one. Class, read until chapter four." Kiyoteru got Kuro a book, _Daughter of Evil: Cloister of Yellow_. He opened it interestedly. He could read fine, it was something he had managed to learn before. It was an interesting book, about an evil princess in the yellow kingdom. Having never read a novel before, it was a good book. He finished up to chapter four; then nudged his twin. "What do we do when we're finished?" he whispered. "Put the book down and wait for orders, though most of us just read ahead." Utatane replied in a whisper. Kuro nodded and continued reading. So the yellow princess had fallen in love with the blue prince across the sea, well, that was a bit different. He read on, to find out about the marriage proposal and the war between the lands of yellow and green.

"That's good, class." Kiyoteru passed out sheets of paper. It mostly asked for opinions and what the students thought was going to happen. Kuro picked up his pencil and wrote down, "since the princess is an idiot she's going to die horribly". Utatane saw it and rolled his eyes. "You're not supposed to say stuff like that. We're supposed to guess what the red woman's going to do." Kuro thought about it, then added, "in the best way that the red woman can think of" onto the paper. Len leaned over and read Kuro's work. "Really? That's the best you can think of?" he sneered. Kuro read Len's paper quickly then responded, "Yeah, like you've got much better." Len flinched, stunned. He clearly hadn't expected Kuro to respond, especially with a good comeback. Utatane nudged his twin and grinned. Kuro flashed a smile back.

The sound rang again. "We'll continue after recess. You are dismissed." Kiyoteru announced. Utatane grabbed Kurotane's hand and got up. "See, I'll show you around. Come on, recess!" Kuro got up and followed his twin, albeit somewhat uncertainly.


	8. Chapter 8

Kuro let his twin lead him outside. "Saa, Kuro. See, this is our playground. We're not allowed on the other one, but we're allowed on all the fields. Not on the roads or past the wall, though." Kuro nodded slowly. Len marched up to the twins, a couple of other boys with him.

"New scum, like I said, Mikuo." Len said. The blue-haired boy nodded and smirked. "And he decided to mouth off? Looks like he needs to be taught a lesson." Mikuo, the blue-haired boy, advanced on Kuro. Surely this was why his girl wanted him to keep his guard up. She knew that he was going to have to fight. Kuro slipped into a fighting stance, his tail in hand and his headset sparking. Len rolled his eyes. "You think you can win?" he asked. "In a heartbeat." Kuro answered. Len smirked. "Then, let's see just how wrong you are."

Len lunged for Kuro's throat. Kuro sidestepped, allowing his right hand to slam into the back of Len's head. Mikuo jumped into the fight and grabbed Kuro's tail. Kuro responded by zapping him with a bolt of blood-red electricity. The third and fourth boys, a gray-haired one and a white-haired one, stood by, watching Len and Mikuo lose the fight. After a few minutes of watching their friends fail to win, the two boys jumped into the fight. Utatane backed out in terror, unable to help.

It did not matter to Kuro that his twin didn't help him. He was used to fighting alone. But he was getting tired, so he felt it time to end the fight. With a single fluid motion, he smacked all four attackers with his tail. They each fell to the ground, one by one. Kuro landed nearby, catching his tail and clipping it to his side. Opening one eye, he muttered, "Surprise; I won." With that, the bell rang.

Uta was still trying to fix Kuro's rumpled hair twenty minutes later, after Len had complained to the school nurse about his head hurting. Kuro had called Len some rather nasty words for a third-grader, but nothing Uta could say fixed Kuro's newfound hatred for Len. Kiyoteru must've thought something was wrong, because he called the twins out on it. "Did anything happen at recess that I should be aware of?" he asked. _Don't tell him anything. They need to think that you're not worth fighting. _Her voice echoed back to him softly, with a decent idea in hand. He nodded inwardly. "Nothing major happened, sir." Kuro responded apathetically. Utatane stared at him. "You really call a fight with Len and his bunch and beating them up all on your own 'nothing major'? I didn't think that was even possible!" "Len's a wuss who hides behind his big bad words. He fought like a two-year-old." Kurotane did not try to hide the contempt in his voice. "He tried to push me around; I proved that I don't like that. He won't be trying that any time soon. Doesn't mean that I want to fight; just leave me alone." He made his tone miserable on purpose, in order to follow up with his girl's plan.

"You still think of her, don't you? Your girlfriend, I mean," Utatane said dreamily. The look that Kuro cast him could have killed a cat, it was full of deep loathing and anger. _You can't hide me from the world, Kuro-kun. It's all right if he knows, _his girl pointed out. _Yeah, well, you're not his. You're mine. All mine, and I don't share! _he replied. She sighed, clearly not wanting to argue. He felt her curl up on his lap and her presence faded shortly after. "Kuro… Earth to Kuro…?"

Utatane had been poking him. "Eh? Hmph. No mentioning that. Ever." Kuro replied vaguely, but still sternly. Uta nodded, understanding that Kuro wanted that kept private. Len snorted, obviously back from the school nurse. "Girlfriend? The loser's got a _girlfriend?_ How _dumb_ is that?" Kuro's chair fell to the ground as he stood up. The anger in his face was clear. He slipped into a stance, his mind changing. He saw Len as just another one of the rats. His instinct had taken over any sense of reasoning. As far as he knew, he was back on the streets fighting for his life. He could barely contain his rage, and he didn't plan on holding it in. He put a foot on the top of his desk and snarled. He aimed before lunging off his desk; going in for the kill.

Kuro could hear only his heartbeat. His eyes were shut and the world was black. His breathing was even, his chest rising and falling softly. Feeling something soft and damp against his forehead, he blinked awake. His girl sat cross-legged beside him, her hand on his forehead. "Don't try to move. It will hurt. It took Utatane, your teacher and another one to hold you down. You're out cold right now, and they called your parents," she explicated softly. He blinked again. "They're mad, aren't they? They're going to kick me out." he replied, guessing at what his fate currently was. She shook her head, her golden hair waving. "No. They're scared that you were hurt. They're mad, yes, but not at you. They strongly believe that it was that boy's fault and that you were reacting as you have your entire life. Here, Kuro-kun." She passed him a glass of apple juice, and he drank it, struggling to sit up. She was right. It _did _hurt. A lot. "Thank you. I'm glad I have you. Your idea was a good one, even though I didn't listen too well." He smiled to prove his gratitude. She smiled back. "I was throwing out ideas. Didn't know what to do. I didn't expect you to even hear me." She blinked. "Personally I'm just glad you're alive." she continued. "It would suck a lot if you died." "It would?" Kuro blurted out. He was not known for keeping his mouth shut around his girl. She nodded. "Yes, it would. Who else would I talk to?" she replied. He felt his cheeks go red. "Well, um…. I don't know." His girl suddenly looked to the sky. "Ah, they're waking you up now. I will see you soon." With those words, she was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

"Kuro! Wake up! Please!" The voice quavered worriedly, shaking Kuro awake. "Huh?" He forced his eyes to open, and it was difficult. Utatane stood beside the bed, several doctors and his parents scattered around the room. "U-Utatane-kun?" he asked, trying to place a name to the voice. "He's awake!" somebody yelled. "W-what happened?" he asked again. "Well, you nearly killed half the school in what seems an attempt on Kagamine Len's life. The school's quite mad but they believe you were provoked. You've been suspended for the rest of the week, but there's only a couple hours left now since it's Friday and you were suspended on Monday." Piko's arms were crossed, his tone dark with worry.

"So I've been out for four days and nobody's tried to kill me." Kuro responded doubtfully. Piko nodded. "Len's mother is very angry, though. She has tried to fight to get you expelled." Sekihan answered. "Expelled?" Kuro tipped his head to the side confusedly. "Kicked out of your school. However, since it was your first day, the school said you didn't know how to behave. They have put you in a special program which should help you get along better with your fellow students." Sekihan explained gently. He went up to his sons and gave them both a hug. Piko, the tsundere, simply dipped his head. "I don't want to get along better with them. I want to be left alone." Kuro whimpered. He was seemingly always scared of something ever since he'd fallen off the roof. "That's not the worst part. You collided with Len and a wall at the same time and it not only knocked you out but gave you a few nasty cuts. You had to get a blood transfusion and they found a large amount of heroin circulating in your bloodflow." Piko's voice shook, worried. "Heroin? The white stuff? It makes me feel okay. It makes _them_ go away." The entire room froze at Kurotane's words.

"You've knowingly taken heroin? That could kill you within twelve hours if you overdosed, and it's almost impossible to tell…. _Why,_ Kuro? What's the point?" Sekihan's voice rose to a squeak. He was seemingly terrified of something, and Kuro couldn't quite place it. "It makes them go away. It makes me feel okay." Kuro repeated. "It hasn't killed me. It makes me feel better. I've had it nearly all my life. I have it hidden somewhere… need to find it. Need to take it. Need to feel better." Kuro didn't know what his parents were thinking, but it mustn't have been good considering their reaction. Piko looked terrified, his face stunned and speechless. Sekihan squeaked again, shuddering. Utatane looked at him confuedly. "It makes who go away?" he asked. "Them. They just wander in and out of my life and only I can see them. They're here now and they don't often help me." He looked around innocently. "They talk in my mind too." He added. A scientist looked at him.

"The kid's describing shizophrenia. I suspected he was. His diagnostic is unlike anything I've even seen before."

The room went quiet. Kuro broke the silence.

"Schizophrenia? What's that?"

"Schizophrenia is a mental handicap where the schizophrenic person sees people and hears voices that aren't there. You sound certainly schizophrenic. We can put you on medication to help it if-"

Kuro cut off the scientist. "I don't want anything for it. I'm already a freak. Don't make it worse." His expression showed nothing but cold hatred. The scientist blinked, surprised by Kuro's attitude. It seemed as though the child had learned apathy at a very young age and was prepared to fight for his life. He'd only been out of a coma for ten minutes and he already looked ready to kill. Most coma patients were wobbly and confused when they woke up, but not this one. "Look, kid, we're trying to help." he said gently.

"Yeah, 'helping' as in making me feel worse. I've handled for nine years. I can handle now." Kuro was slighly sweating now, his eyes glowing brightly with anger. "Kid, we're just trying to make you feel better." The scientist was trying, but Kuro shut him out. "If you want me to feel better, leave me alone. I can deal. Let me deal with it as I always have." The voices were back.

"It's not as though you can-"

"Don't try it-"

"Go for it, ki-"

"Pfffft. Let him deal-"

"All of you, shut it. You're making it worse."

The last voice was one he was glad to hear. It was his girl, back and ready for action. She appeared in the room and sat nearby, watching him. "Use your mind to talk to me. They can't see me. Listen, you can't take this medication. I'm with you for a very good reason, and if they put you on medication, it would stop me from getting through. It would also make the bad people worse." Her voice was quiet but comforting. He looked at her, the fight having drained out of him. He felt like falling on his knees and crying it out. He had no problem with doing that, simply not in front of those he didn't trust. He nodded slowly before replying. "O-okay."

"So, will you take the medication or not?" the one scientist who had analyzed his schizophrenia asked. "No," Kuro answered firmly. The scientist nodded. "Very well. We'll feed you if you're hungry for free then we'll let you go home. Sleep through the weekend, kid. And since you're a Vocaloid, sing well for us." Kuro's belly rumbled. It had gotten used to having a lot of food, and Kuro didn't like it.

Kuro headed straight for bed after they finally got home. He'd been fed a sandwich and one generous scientist had snuck him a piece of black forest cake. He'd enjoyed it and thanked the man(who had incidentally looked a lot like an adult Kuro), but that was in the past. He closed the door and looked around his room. He had been allowed to decorate it to his liking as long as it stayed clean, and he kept it as neat as he could. His parents had helped him work on it. He liked the pitch black walls and ceiling, the lights being ersatz stars with a skylight above his bed so he could see the moon most nights. The walls had been painted black with the zeros and ones that had been explained as binary code and what made up most of his programming. It was comfortable and he liked it that way.

He closed his eyes to go to sleep only to get up to answer the door as someone had knocked. "Come in," he muttered sleepily. His dad shouldered open the door, carrying a tray. "Hey Kuro. I'd like to talk to you." Kuro nodded sleepily, only half awake. Piko set the tray down on his son's desk, then sat down on a chair across from the bed. "What's with the tray?" Kuro asked. "Food, since I doubt you'll be awake enough for dinner. We were all really worried about you, you know? None of us could sleep at all knowing that you might die at any given moment and we wouldn't even get to say sayonara." Kuro listened carefully, feeling warmth that someone liked him enough to lose sleep over whether or not he'd be okay. "I don't know exactly what happened to cause it, and I've heard several stories that don't match up too well. I'd like to hear it from you." Piko continued. Kuro was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. He didn't want to tell his father about his girl. He was certain he wouldn't understand.

"He'll understand, Kuro-kun. He may be surprised on how grown-up you are, but he'll understand." she whispered in his ear. Kuro nodded inwardly, then slowly told his story.

By the end of it, Piko's expression hadn't changed. "So, let me get this straigh. You're saying thaat you have this one girl from your schizophrenia who helps you a lot, and anyone insulting her makes you defend her with your life." Kuro nodded, comfirming it. Piko sighed. "You're far more mature than I first thought, Kurotane." "Mature…?" he asked. "Grown-up. You act more like an adult than is expected of you." Piko defined.

"I see. It's just… I'm always so scared of everything. This Len guy had something up his sleeve. We had one nasty little coversation and then bam, he wants me dead. I'd like to know….. is the world always like this?" Kuro looked up with wide, trembling red-magenta eyes. Piko paused.

"Sometimes. There are many good things in life, but also some bad things. There must always be a balance between the two. I am sure that since you have seen so much evil so quickly, the good things in life are waiting for you. Like… the blonde girl. I don't know much about schizophrenia, but something tells me that somewhere in this world, she's waiting for you. And I believe strongly that you'll find her. But I assure you, I won't tell anyone about her. Here, have some soup."


	10. Chapter 10

"_When the dawn is far away and the dusk shortly gone, happiness will fail you. But the moon shall rise and cast its starlight upon the terrors of the night; putting you to rest." _–Lali

Kuro paused at the door of his new classroom, looking at his twin. "So, I'll see you at recess. If Len decided to be a-" "I know." "Punch him for me, will you?" Their short conversation was followed by a hug from Utatane and a "Good luck." Kuro rested his head on his twin's shoulders, glad for the comfort. Utatane let go and waved, making his way over to his own classroom. Kuro took a deep breath and went inside of the large, sunlight-filled room.

A girl with blue violet-tipped hair immediately bounced over to him, pulling along a pink-haired guy maybe a year older than Kuro by his hand. "Everyone! New friend!" The students rushed over, and holding hands, formed a circle around him. "Kagome, kagome~ Who stands in front of behind the kuro-oni?" Kuro vaguely remembered some kids playing this game. He hid his eyes and guessed, "The girl with a jewel in her hair," That girl paused the game. "I'm Lapis Aoki. You got it right! I'm the ao-one now!" She made Kuro switch spots with her. He went along with it, confused.

"Kagome, kagome~ Who stands in front of behind the ao-oni?"

"That's enough, class. This is our new student, Kurotane Piko!" "Kon'nichiwa." Kuro muttered. "Piko then, right?" Aoki asked. "Kuro, actually," Kuro corrected. He was introduced to the class quickly, then they all sat down in a circle around the classroom. "Now, Kuro, as you might know, this is a special class for special kids." The teacher, Mr. Zumai, explained. "For mentally disabled kids, you mean," Kuro replied. "Well, yes – that's not how we like to say it, though. See, we call ourselves the Smart And Special Snowflakes, SASS for short. See, it's not that bad," Zumai smiled. Diva, another girl, muttered, "Yet. Just you wait, newbie."

Class was fairly easy. Kuro learned quickly why all the other kids were there, and they learned why he was there. Miza, an evil looking girl, kept staring at him after muttering, "Well, you'd be a great storyteller then." She mostly stayed away from the group, only speaking when spoken to. Kuro decided that she must be like him, even though she was one of the few whose 'problem' was unknown to him. He went over to her during free time and sat beside her, curiousity getting the better of him.

"Hi. What's up?" he asked bravely. She looked at him. "Doesn't matter. Just wait until Dumb-ai is out. See this?" She showed him her shoulder, which had a blackened 'SASS' written on it. "Don't touch it, it still burns. Anyway, that's a brand. We've all been branded and trust me, it hurts like a kick to the crotch." Miza glared at him. "Hmph. I can deal. Anyway, why're you here?" he asked, ignoring the so-called branding pain.

She glared at him again. "Violent tendencies. Which means if you don't get away from me I'll strangle you!" Her voice rose on the last three words, nearly yelling. He rolled his eyes. "Bring it, little girl. I'll kill you first." Kuro rose to his feet, sparks flying from his fingertips. Miza also rose, her own sparks at the ready. She lunged first at him, he sidestepped. She used the wall as a spring pad, he sidestepped again and kicked her on the way by. She went under, he jumpkicked off her. She was stunned for a moment, and that moment was all he needed.

He landed on her with a heavy thump, standing up so as to still be on top of her but be stable. He grabbed a chair and held it above his head, smirking. Miza glared at him. "Zumai'll kill you," she warned. He ignored the warning and brought the chair down, then up again. He hit her with it several times, her hands covering her head. The other kids had crowded around, squealing delightedly every time he brought the chair down on Miza. He slammed it down a final time before he heard a voice he knew too well. "Kuro-kun, why do you hit her so?" his girl, innocent as ever, asked quietly. He turned, his eyes wide, to face her. "She was asking for it, ore no mono." he answered. "Even so, is it just?" she questioned him. "Probably not, but the world isn't either so does it really matter?" She blinked. "Yes, it does, actually."

"How so?" he demanded. "You can make a better or worse place for the people around you, and in turn they make it the same for the people around them, and so on. You drop a leaf in a pond and it ripples out through it all. The world is the same. One small action can change everything, Kuro-kun." The chair clattered to the floor. Kuro raised his hands in defeat. "You have a point."

Every single child there stared at him. "Why in all of SASS did you stop?" Gumika asked. "I do not need to continue." he replied. Miza glared at him from behind her hands. He stepped onto the floor and scanned the room. He paused, then with his girl's nod, offered his hand to Miza. "Get up. This never happened." She took his hand and pulled herself up, dusting off the dirt. Miza glared at him yet again. "I take it we're going to be great friends." Kuro muttered. Miza nodded. "Probably. And one of these days, you'll be the one on the floor being beaten with a chair!" Those words came to haunt him, a few years down the road. When he still ran to school each day to have his friends around, to play and talk with Miza. Before he had to go across the world and leave everything behind. In other words, when Miza was still alive.


	11. Chapter 11

Kuro, Miza and Uta walked to school together. Miza lived only a few houses away so it wasn't hard for her to wait for the twins. They always walked on either side of her, and Uta had learned to love her just like Kuro had. It was great, having friends who liked him. His girl mainly spoke to him only at night, and was sometimes seen during the day, watching over him. Kuro loved talking to her the most, even more so than Miza. Uta once teased Miza and Kuro for 'being in love', but he didn't do it twice. Miza proved that she wasn't kidding about her violent tendencies when she beat him with her agenda. Uta swore to never do it again, and Kuro, out of the corner of his eye, saw his girl glare angrily at both Miza and Utatane. Kuro had looked at her confusedly, and her gaze softened. She never once got mad at him. Impatient or sometimes annoyed, but never mad.

But back to the story.

Kuro paced his room. It was shortly after school and Miza had had to go somewhere. Utatane had homework so he wasn't available either. He'd tried calling his girl but a man in jeans had told him that she was busy. His parents were still at work so he had nobody to talk to. It didn't really anger him, however. His problem was that he wasn't allowed to leave the house. If it was one luxury he'd had, it was total freedom. He could do anything and go anywhere. His parents didn't want that and he didn't know why. Then the idea struck him. "If I'm not allowed outside during the day…. Nobody ever said not during the night! Freedom, freedom, freedom…!" He was getting excited now at the prospect. He knew these streets and he knew how to be silent. He could get out through his window and return by dawn without a problem. He'd be fine. If anything, it would make him happier, even if he did lose a bit of sleep. He was used to not sleeping well so he didn't mind.

Night fell. Kuro waited for his parents to go to bed. They were deep sleepers, according to the schizo-group, as he now called them. "You – Aoi and Midorii – When they are close to getting up and I'm still out, come get me. I don't want to be caught." The two boys nodded. "'Course, kid, it's our job to keep you safe even if we torment you." Aoi replied casually. Kuro dipped his head gratefully. "Sakura; are they asleep yet?" Kuro asked quietly. Sakura nodded. "Good. You guys keep me covered. I'll be back by dawn."

He silently opened the window, then jumped out. He was free at last.

Kuro continued on this way every second night. It did make him happier, and it actually improved his grades. School just got easier and easier, and he could remember more. It generally helped. Until the one agonizingly calm night in late April.

Kuro slipped around the street lamp. His ears were cocked for any slight noises; his eyes open for any movement. He scanned the shadows for anything surprising; then paused. _Eh?_ Two glowing red eyes looked back at him from the shadows. "Greetings, Miza." Kuro's own eyes glowed softly. "I'm clearly not the only one out at night." Miza stepped out to respond to his words. "Of course. I've been watching you for years. You were always a special boy. But I assure you: we are not the only ones lurking at night. Len, too, and Dell. They're out here too tonight. Hmph. I'll stick to the west side, you stick to the east. These are not nights to be sharing." With that, Miza made a run for the nearest wall. She ran straight up it and was gone.

A couple of hours later, Kuro heard a scream from the west. Where Miza might be by now. He raced over to the source of the scream. It sounded like Miza. He landed near her and froze. Len held a knife above her, said knife dripping blood. Miza's blood. "Hello, Kurotane. It's been a while. Since you got into the special class, I figured you had friends. Friends who, if hurt, would hurt you." Len said calmly. Kuro stepped over Miza's broken and bloody legs to face Len. Miza whispered something illegible weakly. Something told Kuro she was not going to last long. "Hush, Miza-chan. I'll deal with him." Kuro replied. "Besides, Len….. There are few things that can hurt me. You know of none of them. There are things that will make me fight. You know only a few. But even so, they shall not hurt me."

Len smirked in that innocent yet evil way. "The kid's dying, bakayaru. There isn't a thing you can do to save her." That was truth, but Kuro was not to know yet. "You'll die first." Kuro lunged.

The fight was short and it left Kuro bloody and Len unconscious. Kuro knelt next to Miza and brushed her hair out of her face. "Hey, girl. It's going to be okay." Miza opened her eyes, clearly struggling to breathe. "No… K-Kuro…. I'm s-sorry…. We sh-should have s-stayed togeth-ther…" "Hush, Miza. It's going to be okay. You'll be all right." Miza lifted one hand weakly and touched his shoulder where he'd been branded like every other special kid. "N-no…. I-I won't live t-to see the d-dawn…. Kuro….tane….. Piko…." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper now. "Live…. L-live for me…. If not for…. Yours-self… I-I… love…. You…" Miza weakly smiled for him. It wasn't her usual satisfied smirk. It was a sweet, real smile. Blood ran softly out of the corner of her mouth. Her eyes closed, her chest unmoving. "I… love… you…. Kuro… kun…" she whispered. And then she was still, never to move again.

Memories flashed through him. Miza laughing. Miza snarling. The memories were faster than the wind on track and field day, racing through him. He had known Miza for only a few months, yet she had been his only friend. And he had loved her. So that was the emotion. Love. He had loved Miza just as he had always loved his girl. And now Miza was gone. It was time he returned home. He would deliver Miza's body on the way. It hurt to know she would never talk to him again. For the gods, it _hurt_. He'd only had physical pain before. This emotional pain was worse. Kuro cried his way home, unable to do much else. He laid her body on her front patio, pausing to place a single white rose, splattered with his own blood, on her chest. He rang the doorbell and made a run for home. He did not want to know her parents' reaction.


End file.
